(Motorsport-Total.com) – Aston Martin remains the biggest concern in Formula 1 after the British Grand Prix in Silverstone: In the first part of qualifying, Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll were more than three seconds behind the best time set by Isack Hadjar in the Red Bull. A deficit that the team consciously accepted.
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“After Melbourne, we decided not to introduce small changes that wouldn’t have given us a real chance at points anyway,” recalls technical genius Adrian Newey in an interview with Sky. It is now known that Aston Martin has used the AMR26 so far without a single update.
This not only explains the gap to the competition but also why it has recently even grown larger. “So we are taking some pressure off, reorganizing, establishing structures for the future, and working on a comprehensive upgrade that we hopefully will have ready for Hungary,” says Newey.
“That is the first stage,” reveals the Brit about the extensive upgrade package for the AMR26, on which Aston Martin apparently places great hopes. “After that, there is more to come, combined with an upgrade from Honda within the power unit regulations for Zandvoort.”
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“We are not going directly into the Top 10, but …”
Honda chief engineer Shintaro Orihara had already announced after the Austrian Grand Prix that the big engine update is to debut at the race in the Netherlands. The focus is on improving the engine’s performance.
The crucial question, however, is: What does the British racing team expect from the numerous improvements? Newey hopes that “we at least move into the points positions, so really in the midfield.” A progress that seems almost ambitious given the current situation.
“I’m not saying that we will go directly into the Top 10,” the Brit immediately backtracks, “but if we at least make it confidently into Q2, we can see from there.” For that, Alonso and Stroll would have had to be more than two seconds faster in Silverstone …
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